News from Section Libraries for Children and Young Adults – December 2016
Theme: Library spaces for children and young adults
Editor's note
Dear colleagues
Redefining the library as a physical and virtual place is one of the most acute tasks libraries are doing. Children and YA librarians are constantly thinking on how to best meet the changing needs of children, tweens and young adults. The articles gathered on IFLA Section Libraries for Children and Young Adults hopefully gives some ideas to anyone in the midst of renovating, redesigning or building a library or department.
Two abstract articles wll first give you a recap on the issue. Anant Kumar Shukla talks about essential building blocks for well-functioning children's department while Jennifer Velasquez concentrates on teenagers and young adults. A slogan that stuck into my eyes from that text was
libraries without dedicated teens spaces is, chances are, you already have one – it was established by teens and is there for the library to discover.
In addition to that there are fine articles from around the globe and from different sizes of libraries. Good examples on how to make the square meters feel bigger, how to increase the participation of young patrons on decorating the space and how to cooperate fruitfully with architects and designers.
Again as a communication officer, I encourage you to active discussion. Let the section know your wishes, ideas and possible complaints and contact the authors for more information. I hope you get new boost to your own library work reading these examples.
Ulla Pötsönen
Information Coordinator
IFLA Section Libraries for Children and Young Adults
Introduction
Theme: library spaces for children and young adults
- Redesigning the Public Library to create an active and vibrant library space for children
- Fugitive Landscapes: a message to libraries without a dedicated teens space
- Dynamic spaces for children in libraries – Play Pod at State Library Victoria, Australia
- Tinker Table makerspace at Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, Ohio USA
- How? Art. Toowoomba Region Libraries, Queensland Australia
- Library Design Squad: Encouraging Creativity, Community, and Communication at Medford, Oregon USA
- Versatile library spaces for children, Monte Alto Spain
- Collaboration and Inspiration: The journey to build a new library at Rockdale New South Wales, Australia
- From tired to terrific – Glen Ellyn Public Library (IL, USA) youth space update